MapMyFitness update make power users more powerful

Phileas Fogg attempted to go around the world in 80 days. With MapMyFitness, you can go around the world with 80 million routes.

MapMyFitness rolled out an update today for its MVP premium subscribers that’s full of new and enhanced features.

MapMyFitness powers a suite of health and fitness tracking apps. Its flagship products, MapMyRun and MapMyRide, use built-in GPS technology so you can record your workout as well as search for new routes and monitor data like duration, pace, speed, elicitation, and calories burned. It saves all of this information so you can view your activity progress over time. Social elements provide motivation to stick to regimens and can make exercise more fun.

The business is based on a “freemium” model. The core set of features are free, but fitness enthusiasts can pay a monthly or annual fee for a more comprehensive experience. The MVP membership is $30 a year and comes without ads as well as tools like a Route Recommender, Customs Splits, Advanced Heart Rate, Training Plans, and Power Analytics.

“The new MVP is just a cleaner experience,” said CEO Robin Thurston in an interview. “People are gaining a fitness aptitude for data. They want content and analytics, and they are willing to pay for it if it will change their health outcomes and improve daily health.”

The Route Recommender is based on an algorithm that factors in desired length, travel mode, direction, rotations, and such and will autogenerate a customized route. For those trying to craft their own course, the app has a library of tools and icons to map it out. The heart rate tracking features are useful for people with target heart rate goals or restrictions, and the live tracking means friends can view each others’ activity. Thurston said that these product updates are a direct result of feedback from consumers about their needs.

MapMyFitness currently has 13 million users and hopes to grow to 20 million this year. Further updates are in the pipeline, including challenge/gamification features and more integrations with quantified self devices.

“There are encouraging trends around technology,” Thurston said. “People are adopting activity trackers and using mobile technology to be more active. This is a step in the right direction, but the next step is helping people change outcomes. The next five years in this space specifically is probably going to be one of the most exciting industries to be in, because of rapid change and disruption that is coming.”

MapMyFitness is headquartered in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2007 by Thurston, who used to be a professional cyclist, and has raised $18.5 million to date. Competitors include Runkeeper, Skimble, and Endomondo. Read the press release.